Soccercoachw425

all he had to do was collect the referee’s money...

WEEKLY

SOCCER COACH Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

TRAIN

June 17 2015 Issue 425 $6.99/£4.99

like THE

STARS

CREATE SPACE

> INTERCHANGING POSITIONS > FREE LINK PLAY > INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM

TOUCHLINE TALES > Parents are your lifeblood >M ake sure they are helping not hindering

COACH OF THE MONTH

AR TONY MILL

> THAT ‘LIGHT BULB’ MOMENT > USING ‘DRIVE BY’ COACHING > HELPING OTHER COACHES the best youth training sessions every week

CONTENTS

When Dads Get It Wrong ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS COLLECT THE REFEREE’S MONEY...

WEEKLY

SOCCER COACH Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

TRAIN

June 17 2015 Issue 425 $6.99/£4.99

LIKE THE

STARS

CREATE SPACE

> INTERCHANGING POSITIONS > FREE LINK PLAY > INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM

TOUCHLINE TALES > PARENTS ARE YOUR LIFEBLOOD > MAKE SURE THEY ARE HELPING NOT HINDERING

COACH OF THE MONTH

R TONY MILLA

> THAT ‘LIGHT BULB’ MOMENT > USING ‘DRIVE BY’ COACHING > HELPING OTHER COACHES

Sometimes dads can be very helpful When it comes to getting things done it is often the most vocal of dads who find it hardest to help out. Why is it that the ones that think they can tell you how the team should play and the tactics to use are the ones that do anything you ask them wrongly?

THE BEST YOUTH TRAINING SESSIONS EVERY WEEK

Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 425

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“It would have been a lot easier if the dad had found out how much he was supposed to be collecting before he almost shook it out of the other parents” Just last week one of the dads – who had initially shown some interest in helping with the coaching at the age group his son played in – was asked if he could collect the last of the money that was needed to make up the subs for paying the referee.

Incredibly he had not long been walking up the touchline trying to prise the money out of the parents when he got into a full blown argument with one of the other dads. They couldn’t agree on how much each parent had left to pay and the second of the dads didn’t take too kindly to being told he owed £15 when in his eyes it should only have been £10.

And he went on and on about how it wasn’t the money but the principle. In the

end I checked it out with the manager and he confirmed it was just £10 to pay.

That nipped the situation in the bud but it would have been a lot easier if the dad had found out how much he was supposed to be collecting before he almost shook it out of the other parents.

In the end it was apologies all round and I think the dad who had asked to help out will not be doing that again in a hurry.

As a coach it is all the extra little things that get in the way and take up another few minutes of the time which should be spent with the kids. The parents should be able to sort themselves out and sort out who pays what without the coach having to get involved.

Time is always at a premium on training

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It’s good to have somebody to ask for advice when you encounter a problem with your team – and whatever your coaching problem, I’m sure I can help.

I’m delighted to offer you a personal service exclusive to SCW subscribers. Just email me your query on any soccer coaching matter and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I’ll give you the advice you need to solve your particular problem‚ and I’ll even send you the resources you need from our archive of coaching sessions.

Just email me today: askdave@soccercoachweekly.net

nights and the warming up time spent before matches. I hate it when it is all interrupted by unaware parents who could be helping rather than causing more problems.

That is why the parents are incredibly important cog in the running of the team.

I always get the parents of my players together before the start of the season and explain what help I need and how by helping they are giving their child more development time.

It usually does the trick!

David Clarke

In this issue...

3 MOVE LIKE THE STARS

The movement of players, swapping positions is key to successful teams

4 FREE LINK PLAY

Testing possession session with overloads in the passing team’s favour

5 COACH OF THE MONTH

Recognition of a grassroots coach that goes the extra mile for his/her team.

This week Tony Millar of Horsley FC

7 MULTIPLE CHOICE

Different runs and passes to help players exploit the attacking zone

8 BACK DOOR TACTICS

Pick the lock of tight defences using movement and passing

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BETTER MOVEMENT

2 A straight pass is made to the winger

3 He receives two-touch and feeds to his team mate who has moved centrally 4 He spins ‘around the corner’ and feeds back to the target man

SECOND BALL 1 The forward receives a pass and moves around the back of the mannequin

3 The full-back moves from deep to make a one touch pass into the forward

FIRST BALL 1 The right-hand sequence begins at the bottom of the practice

2 The midfielder drops off the mannequin to receive on the half-turn and feeds the ball on one-touch

Move Like The Stars One of the key ingredients in playing a better game is the movement of players on the pitch during matches – watch any winning team and you will see plenty of movement

I

nterchanging positions is something I try to work on every week with the teams I coach so every player has an understanding of positions on the pitch. I work in training using a session I worked on with Premier League U21 coach Michael Beale.

WHY USE IT The session is about improving movement to create space, both as individuals and collectively.

When you meet teams that are well organized defensively it is essential that players understand how to create space for themselves and their team mates.

What I want to see in any match my players take part in is rotating and interchanging of positions, and this type of movement is at the heart of a team becoming flexible, versatile and less predictable, and all those things make playing SoccerCoachWeekly.net

against them harder for the opposition.

In my book Soccer Tactics Made Simple I show how young teams can make space with clever movement during games and this is recreated in this simple passing exercise.

The length of passes and sizes of areas can be adapted to suit the standard and age of players.

SET UP You need balls, bibs and cones in an area 30 x 20 yards. We used two balls working simultaneously around the area. The session is run in both directions with the ball being passed on by a player to a team mate as it goes top to bottom, bottom to top.

HOW TO PLAY IT Set it up so players starting postions are one on the top cone and one on the bottom

cone as target players, two players out wide representing fullbacks and two more wide players representing wingers. Starting from the bottom the ball goes right and the player drops off the mannequin to receive on the cone.

The fullback overlaps and receives the ball and passes to the top target player who turns around the mannequin plays wide to a winger who plays it to the moving wide players and then to the target player.

TECHNIQUE During the simple passing patterns you should be looking for players to receive and pass using a number of different techniques, such as receiving on the back foot, receiving on the half-turn, coming to meet the ball, playing on one-touch and using different areas of the foot to create different passes – driven, lofted or bent.

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BETTER MOVEMENT

Free Link Play A great testing session for movement and possession – Once players have experienced the pass and move practise on page 3 they should try this session

WHY USE IT

The mastery of the technical basics is essential if any team is to reach its passing and possession potential.

Movement is vital to success of the overload team who should be able to keep the ball fairly easily

Playing a 4v2 the team of 4 must try and use the techniques learned from the session on page 3 to keep the ball

SET UP

You need balls, bibs, cones and two goals. Use an area 20 x 20 yards. We used 8 players in the session plus a server.

HOW TO PLAY

Begin by playing 4v2 inside the area. The four players must retain possession for as long as possible (you can time them and see if the other four can beat the time). Look for an understanding of the movements the players went through in the passing practice on page 3, but this time with two defenders as opposition players. If defenders manage to win the ball they feed it back to the coach to restart.

As soon as players in possession are competent in a 4v2 add another defender to make a 4v3.

Aim is to progress again as quickly as possible by adding another defender to make a 4v4. Time each combination and see which team keeps the ball the longest.

Now different ways to keep the ball will have to be used and skills like a feint come into their own

Add a third defender to make it 4v3 and see how difficult the players find it to keep the ball

Here it becomes 4v4 and players will find it much harder to keep the ball – a good run is anticipated and makes space for the receiver

TECHNIQUE

Passing – both accuracy and weight – reaction to movement and timing of movement.

Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net

Ball movement

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COACH OF THE MONTH

TONY MILLAR

Tony (left) and his triple cup winning team

Coach Tony Millar Each month Soccer Coach Weekly recognizes a grassroots coach who has given more than taken out of the game. This month we celebrate Tony Millar of Horsley FC H What inspired you to get

into coaching in the first place?

The inability to stay fit enough to play for the 1st team whilst living in New Zealand. I was asked to coach and play for the reserves. A nagging back problem was probably a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to play but learn about coaching as I went along.

H What’s the biggest

satisfaction you take from coaching?

It’s different at various levels of the game. With Horsley it’s all about winning as it’s the 1st team and that’s what is expected. When coaching young kids, it’s that ‘light bulb’ moment when you can see in their faces they get what you are trying to do. It’s a fantastic feeling to know you are helping them become better players.

H Have you encountered

any problems dealing with problem children or pushy

SoccerCoachWeekly.net

Name: Tony Millar Age: 47 Years Coaching: 22 Teams you currently coach: Horsley FC 1st team.

Previous Clubs: Aldershot U13 Academy Preparation Centre.

The Pro Way Academy – U14 to U16 assistant to Drew Sherman.

AFC Sunbury Havelock North Wanderers – Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Qualifications: FA Level 1, 2 on final assessment for Level 3 FA Youth Awards 1, 2 and 3, FA Goalkeeping Level 1 and 2, NZFA Level 1 and 2, FA Futsal For Beginners, FA Mentoring Adults, Coerver Coaching Youth Diploma 1

parents? How have you dealt with these problems?

Until recently I have always coached men’s football, so never really had any problems like that. When I started coaching Aldershot U13s, I tried to speak to the parents, get them on board with my ideas as soon as possible to make them feel a part of their child’s development, not apart from it. Fortunately they where really decent people and helped me tremendously.

It was a real shame the team folded, especially after getting to a final at a tournament in Germany, losing on penalties to a Dutch team. The improvement

as individuals and as a team was a real joy to see.

H What is your key coaching

belief or philosophy?

I guess my biggest belief is, I don’t care if things go wrong in training, as long as we can learn from the mistakes. If we never make mistakes, we’ll never learn – I probably make more mistakes than the players, I just don’t let them know. The players must feel they can train with no fear of making mistakes.

H What kind of training regime do you use for the players?

I wouldn’t say I have a regime.

I like to get everyone involved as soon as possible and keep everyone involved until we finish. I try to speak to each player as the session goes on about just one thing they could do better from a session we are involved in, let them tell me, not dictate. A very good coach taught me ‘drive-bys’.

There is no need to stop the session, just pick out a player at a time while the session is going on and help them improve one thing you saw in that session.

H What are your coaching

ambitions?

I want to finish the UEFA B assessment & the Youth Award Module 3 Assessment. I realize I will need to move to a club with the facilities to allow me to practice these sessions. I would like to coach at Academy level, but ultimately, once I finish my degree in 2 years, I can see myself going into tutoring.

I’d like to help other coaches achieve what they are capable of.

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COACH OF THE MONTH

“Get the parents on board early, get them involved. It will make your job much easier” H What’s your best coaching achievement?

This year Horsley won the treble, which has never been done at that level, so I’m proud I was involved in that.

In my first year coaching in New Zealand we managed to win 3 trophies. Helping Aldershot U13s to the final of a tournament in Germany was special. I’ve been involved with many teams winning many cups or getting to finals, but the most satisfying of all, was the Sportsmanship Award. To me it showed we did things the right way.

the course. I thought I would just go in goal to help out. As a cross came over, I collided with the post. As I landed, my foot went from under me and I tore the ligaments in my ankle. Trying to do demos on your assessment with torn ligaments was impossible.

The guys on the course thought I was made of glass.

Embarrassing.

H Your key piece of advice for any other coach?

Allow the players the freedom to express themselves – so what if they make a mistake?

That allows you to make a coaching point to help them improve. Also, listen. Speak with the players, don’t just talk to them. Get the parents on board early, get them involved. It will make your job much easier.

H What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you when coaching?

It’s funny now I look back, but wasn’t at the time. I was on the UEFA B course up at St George’s Park. I went to cross a ball but lost my footing and fractured my metatarsal. I was in a boot for 6 weeks. Once the boot was off I was back up to St George’s for the next part of

SoccerCoachWeekly.net

H Who is your coaching hero and why?

I’ve been very fortunate to watch and work with some fantastic coaches. Keith Boanas has always been very supportive and for that I will always be thankful. Watching Drew Sherman & Austin Harris at Aldershot was when I knew I had to up my game. Ben

Bartlett was the coach at the first CPD event I attended. I guess that was one of those moments I thought, yes, I want to do that. Pete Sturgess put on a session, which he made look so easy. His manner with the young kids is brilliant. It certainly made me reflect on

my own sessions and I hope I’m better for it. And finally Chris Mcginn. Not only a fantastic coach & tutor, but a brilliant person.

Send your Coach Of The Month nominations to

askdave@soccercoachweekly.net

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COACH OF THE MONTH

Multiple Choice Coach of the month Tony Millar has shared one of his favourite drills with us which looks to encourage different types of passes and different types of forward runs

WHY USE IT

The game gets players thinking about the type of pass and runs to create space around the goal areas.

The server plays to one of the teams who must decide when and where to attack the goal

Team mates must think about how to offer support – are they in a position to score or do they need players to move into space?

SET UP

HOW TO PLAY

Split your players into two teams of 5 players with no goalkeepers. Teams can score in both goals – if a team scores they keep the ball and play out from the goal, but they must pass the ball three times before they can score in that goal again. Leave the players at this stage to ‘work out’ the practice. Lots of decisions to be made about which goal to attack, can the player in possession see them, movement to create overloads in each half of the pitch. To really challenge the players add an offside line in the scoring zone making players time their runs before scoring.

s 10yd

s yd 30

You need balls, bibs, cones and two goals. Set up an area 40 x 30 yards with a 10 yard scoring zone at each end and two goals the wrong way around.

We used 10 players in the session plus a server.

s 20yd s 10yd

When a team scores they keep the ball and play out from the goal …

… but they must make 3 passes before they can score in that goal again

Test the movement and passing accuracy of your players by adding an offside line

e id fs of e lin

TECHNIQUE

Different types of runs to score, create space for themselves or create space for others.

Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net

Ball movement

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creative midfield

Back Door Tactics Using a set up similar to our Coach of the Month on page 7 try this different take on the theme with movement and passes to pick the lock of tight defences

WHY USE IT

When midfielders win the ball, they need to make good passes quickly in order to take advantage of any space on the pitch. In this session the quick pass sets up a scoring chance.

Set up an area 30x20 yards with a five-yard scoring area behind the goal and goalposts without nets on them. We’ve used 12 players.

You need balls, bibs, cones and two normal goals.

HOW TO PLAY

Split your players into three teams of four. Two teams play a 4v4 on the pitch and the other team provide the two goalscorers in the end zones and the two neutral servers on the sides.

The teams should try to get possession of the ball and flight passes to their goalscorer, who must shoot with one touch. The game is directional. Each game should last three minutes, then swap the outside four with the team that is losing.

The team in possession can use the servers if they need to pass to them.

5yds

s yd 20

SET UP

Play starts with a pass from one of the servers to either of the two teams

s 20yd 5yds

Here the midfielder creates some space and flights a ball to the feet of the attacker who must finish with one touch

The goalscorers have one touch from the midfielder’s pass to put the ball into the goal. No other players are allowed in these zones

Here the midfielder plays a one-two with a team-mate to create space for the pass to the goalscorer

TECHNIQUE

This helps players learn how to take advantage when they win the ball in midfield, as quick balls up to the front players can be match winners. It’s also good for defensive work and basic pressing to win the ball back.

Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net

Midfielders should also be aware of the chance to play a longer pass to the goalscorer if the opposition stand off

Ball movement

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